I know coincidences happen; I certainly see no evidence for any sort of universal harmony aligning the stars or anything like that. Any stellar alignment is a matter of our own brains interpreting data. Literally. Such is the case, I assume, when two separate BABlogees independently send me links to the same site for two different reasons. The site in question is Strange Maps, which is about, well strange maps.
Case 1: Dan Fingerman sent me to a Strange Maps page about a Dutch map showing what Mars would look like if it had water on its surface. This is an interesting idea, and of course with modern technology (specifically, laser ranging topographical maps of Mars taken using orbiting satellites) we have much better such things, but I'm fond of the old style of map-making. This one has that Percival Lowell feel to it that makes it cool. Why it has south facing up I'll never know. Case 2: dj empirical told me about a Strange Maps page with a fairly unusual map of the sky, with star names and constellations re-imagined by an eccentric (read: whacko) Brit who thought our starry vault needed more Hitler and Mussolini. You can't make this stuff up. Well, that guy did, but you know what I mean. Strange Maps looks like a fun blog, and I've added it to my feed reader. I've always enjoyed looking over maps, and this appeals to my odd sense of humor.
